The present invention is related to a support/holding device particularly adapted for use in automobiles, boats and other vehicles for holding differently sized and shaped drinking cups, open bottles, and beverage cans in an upright position to prevent spillage. The problem of spilling a cup of coffee or other beverage from a free standing container while travelling in a vehicle is well known and widely experienced. While drinking cups which are tapered downwardly and outwardly to define an enlarged base surface have been designed to provide an inherently stable free standing vessel for vehicular use, such cups are still subject to spillage when the vehicle undergoes rapid changes in motion. In addition, such cups are used in place of the original container in which the beverage is marketed, thus creating a potential for spillage when the volume of the tapered cup is insufficient to hold the entire contents of the beverage's original container. As such tapered cups generally have a low profile to reduce their center of gravity when full, their capacity is generally quite limited, greatly limiting their utility.
Attempts to provide support in a vehicle for the drinking cup, bottle or beverage can in which the beverage is sold typically employ some form of recess or aperture in a horizontally disposed surface, or a hanging wire basket type container which is pivotally secured to some form of back mounting plate. Such devices, however, are not portable and are limited to holding beverage containers within a very limited size range whereas various types of beverages are merchandised in cups, cans or other containers of various sizes and shapes.
In addition to being able to provide a stable device for accommodating different shapes and sizes of beverage cups or other containers, it is important that such a holding device be capable of firmly gripping the beverage container to prevent slippage or tilting of the container within the device upon directional or velocity changes in the vehicle as such movement of the container within the device would also likely result in spillage. While various types of holding devices have heretofore been developed for securely gripping and supporting differently sized and shaped beverage containers, they are very limited in their use as they require fixed installation and, if not designed into the vehicle as original equipment, are also obtrusive. In boats when such devices may not be so obtrusive, they are nevertheless limited to holding the beverage container in a fixed location. Examples of such devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,645,157 and 4,828,211.
It would be highly desirable to provide a beverage container holding device which not only is readily adjustable to securely hold therein differently sized and shaped beverage containers but which also retains the portability advantage of the large based tapered drinking cups. Accordingly, such a device should also be free standing and portable, yet highly stable so that the user can drink directly from the container with the device secured thereto and rest the holding device and open container on a flat surface in a moving vehicle without fear of spillage. The device should also allow for the beverage container to be readily removable so that the user can drink directly from the container should he or she so desire without any encumbrance of the holding mechanism and with minimal risk of spillage during removal. It would also be highly desirable if the holding mechanism of such a device were adaptable for use in a fixed mounting where desired. Such a mechanism would then not only retain the adjustability advantages of the fixed devices disclosed in the above-cited patents, but additionally be useable either as a fixed holder or as a portable free standing adjustable support and thus provide a distinct improvement over the beverage holders currently in use. Such a device and mechanism is disclosed and claimed herein.